Definition

It is defined as hormonal problem that causes women various symptoms including:

Acne

Excess hair growth

Irregular or no periods

Introduction

As a girl grows old & she achieves her puberty certain hormonal changes takes place in females which leads her to puberty & finally she achieves her puberty soon after her first menstrual cycle (periods). These periods must be regular on every month, but if it gets irregular the problem starts from here, girl starts worrying about her cycles & further stress begins.

WHAT IS POLY-CYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME (PCOS)?

As per abbreviation PCOS means Poly Cyctic Ovarian Syndrome which means that there are multiple cysts (balloon like structure) present in the ovaries abnormally. Ovaries are the 2 endocrine structures present in the female reproductive tract mainly responsible for certain hormones secretion & egg production which lets a female to achieve her reproductive cycles & to conceive.

The basic problem begins from the pituitary gland which is responsible for the hormone release as the sedentary life style, genetic makeup & obesity combines this causes the hypothalamus to release excessive gonadotrophs which leads to the mismatch between the LH (Luteinizing Homone) & FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone). These are the hormones which luteinize & stimulate the follicles from the ovaries to develop & finally shed off leading to the menstrual cycle. Due to this mismatch, the androgens are the hormones which when increase in the blood, causes the ovaries to develop multiple pearl like cysts in the ovaries. Other action of this excessive androgen is on the hair follicles which starts growing on the different parts of body. Due to the increased androgen & cysts formation the regular monthly cycles (period) gets irregular.

HOW IS FACTORY FARMED CHICKEN A CAUSE OF RAPIDLY INCREASING CASES OF PCOS?

In 1957 the average growth period for an eating chicken to reach slaughter weight was 63 days. By the 1990s the number of growth days had been reduced to 38 & the amount of feed required halved. Today these values have dropped to surprising values.

The consumers of chicken are currently way higher than the chicken are produced. In order to fulfill the increased chicken requirement they are being injected by hormonal injections which reduce their growth time resulting the chicken to reach the slaughter weight in a very few days.

The chicken is injected with Bovine Growth Hormone, which can increase insulin-like growth factor one in humans. Perhaps worse, other hormones such as estrogen & testosterone are approved by the FDA for injection into the animals via an earpiece each animal is implanted with at birth. The FDA claims that even with supplementation the animal’s hormonal profile falls within normal ranges.

Moreover, chickens have been bred through genetic selection for several decades to produce birds that grow larger & faster, on less feed, than chickens of earlier eras. Giving growth hormones to modern farmed poultry would be pointless, as those birds could not possibly grow any faster. Hormones must be injected, not consumed through the intake of feed, in order to work. Chickens would have to be injected with growth hormones on a regular basis, a far too expensive & labor-intensive process for poultry farmers to undertake.

Clinically what happens to a female who has pcos?

The female gets under some changes which includes:

Menstrual disorders

Adrenal enzyme deficiencies

Hirsutism (excessive growth of hair on lips, chin, buttocks, thighs – known as male like hair pattern) are 80% common

Infertility (unable to conceive)

Obesity & metabolic syndrome

Diabetes

Decrease breast size

Deepening of voice

Hair loss (alopecia)

Acne

Pelvic pain

Stress & Depression

As PCOS is recently found to be one of the major endocrine disorder in young females. Every female needs answer to the question that why & what causes this PCOS.

A female with central obesity (fat on the tummy) is said to be on the major risk of POCS understanding evidently the relation between obesity & PCOS. Obesity means increased fat (adipose tissue) in your body, which increase fats causing androgen production & this androgen as mentioned above causes the multiple pearls formation on the ovaries.

Studies suggest that the poultry chicken that are grown in the poultry farms on the basis of injections injected to the chick to grow rapidly are also the cause of PCOS in the young females as the population in our country is more use to of eating junk food in terms of chicken.

Genes are always responsible for certain syndromes which includes PCOS as well. We all carry genes from our parents if a parent is affected or even the parent have a mutated gene their offsprings have more chance to have PCOS.

Antiepileptic drugs such as valproic acid are also the culprit.

Females having type II diabetes are insulin resistant which usually leads to PCOS.

Female born with type I diabetes are also on the risk of PCOS.

Living sedentary life with lots of junk food in your diet leads to increase adipose tissue as this condition is related to the hormone imbalance the increase in adipose tissue causes insulin resistance which causes the androgens to increase and leads to PCOS.

HOW TO DIAGNOSE PCOS?

The diagnosis is easy as compared to the pathophysiology of the PCOS. PCOS is diagnosed on the criteria knows as ROTTERDAM criteria, the presence of 12 or more cysts in the ovary measuring 2-9 mm in size is the diagnostic criteria for the PCOS.

Other diagnosis is based on the:

Increased LH-FSH ratio

Abnormal TSH levels

Raised androgen levels

Fasting glucose level

Getting PCOS diagnosed is not a worrisome condition being worried is not a solution to the problem. PCOS is treated with the medical intervention in worsened cases & conditions.

The first thing need to treat is your sedentary lifestyle (a type of lifestyle with little or no physical activity. A person living a sedentary lifestyle is often sitting or lying, while reading, socializing, watching television, playing video games, or using a mobile phone/computer for much of the day) & obesity.

Decreasing the weight leads to decreased number of adipose tissue, which as a result decrease the insulin resistance further resulting in decreased androgen formation. When androgens are regulated properly the pearls in ovaries will not be formed.

Metformin is the drug of choice in these patients because it has a dramatic role in decreasing the insulin resistance.

GNrH analogues can be given

Oral contraceptive pills

Combined oral contraceptive pills

Androgen antagonists

As soon as the hormonal imbalance gets reverse & the balance starts the female achieves her normal cycles back & then the infertility treatment can let her to conceive.

If you are afraid of sharing your condition with your health care provider then this condition may lead to its complication which can be really troublesome for a doctor to treat. Every person in the world is not perfect, no matter what condition you have a doctor is always a good care taker.

Assalam o alaikum, i read your article, it’s good & very informative too ! I am glad for you and wishes you all the very best of luck for your future !
To be very general !
#1 you noticed a problem !
#2 you noticed the cause that how the mess is creating day by day !
#3 you provided tips on how to get cure women when victimized !
#4 you discuss about the possibilities of the disease
& so on ! I appreciate your domain of interest but here is my question,
How can we get to root of this cause ?
* shutdown breeding, factory farmed chicken?
* Is there any proper treatment available for PCOS?
Regards
Usman siddiqui

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